London City Airport is expecting to see millions of pounds worth of business to be secured by small and medium sized businesses after its latest Mett the Buyer event.
Held on September 12 at the nearby London ExCeL convention centre, the event brought SMEs together with larger organisations.
It enabled them to learn about tender opportunities and build connections with high-value buyers to secure major contracts.
London City Airport has hosted the event since 2018, which has generated resulted in more than £10 million worth of contracts.
Wilma Allan, chief financial officer at London City Airport, said: “We are proud to have hosted our fifth East London ‘Meet the Buyer’ event, which has generated over £10m worth of business for local SMEs since we launched it in 2018.
“This annual event is another example of London City Airport’s commitment to support local SMEs, creating opportunities to help them connect and grow”.
This year’s event welcomed 20 buyers and over 130 suppliers, with Barclays and Alcumus hosting workshops, plus other organisations like Amazon Business and University of East London exhibiting at the event, providing more support for local SMEs.
Buyers hosted meetings with suppliers to discuss the work opportunities that the airport and other large, local businesses – including ExceL London, Tate & Lyle and Westfield – may have in the coming months.
Matt Fawcett, chairman of Newham Chamber of Commerce, said: “One of the biggest challenges facing SMEs – including in east London – can be attracting new customers, so events like these are crucial in helping them to make connections and grow their business organically.”
